What is a smart Pay As You Go meter?
Smart Pay As You Go meters (also known as smart prepayment meters or smart prepaid meters) make it easier for you to manage your energy and credit. You can track how much you're using, and what it's costing you, which could help you save money.
If you want to upgrade your Pay As You Go electricity and gas meters to smart Pay As You Go meters, we can arrange a free installation.
Why choose a smart Pay As You Go meter?
With a smart Pay As You Go meter and an In-Home Display you can easily view and manage your energy usage.
- See the exact cost of the gas and electricity you're using, in pounds and pence and in real time
- Top up gas and electric credit online anytime – there's no need to go to the shops, unless you want to
- We'll add your credit remotely, so you don't need to do anything with your meter
- Our friendly credit periods keep your supply on if you run out of credit overnight or at the weekend
- Activate emergency credit direct from your In-Home Display
How to top up a smart Pay As You Go meter
Your In-Home Display will alert you when your PAYG credit is running low, so you always know when it’s time to top up.
It's simple to top up your smart Pay As You Go meter whenever you need to. The easiest way is to top up online or use our SSE Top-Up app which you can download below. You can also take your top-up card along to any Post Office branch or any shop that offers PayPoint.
When you've topped up, we'll add your credit remotely, so you don't need to do anything with your meter.
It's now even easier to top up your smart Pay As You Go meter
Download our SSE Top-Up app. It's free to register and simple to use. Top up anytime, anywhere straight from your smart phone.
Securely save your payment details to your account and you'll be able to top up your smart Pay As You Go meter in seconds. No more worrying about lost top-up cards.
Smart Pay As You Go meter help and support
What to do if you lose your smart Pay As You Go top-up card
If you lose your smart Pay As You Go top-up card, get in touch with us.
We'll send you a replacement top-up card free of charge.
How to use emergency credit on your smart Pay As You Go meter
If you've run out of credit and can't top up right away, we'll lend you £5 emergency credit.
If you've got a smart PAYG meter you can start using your emergency credit on your electric meter or gas meter quickly and easily through your In-Home Display.
Getting emergency credit for your smart Pay As You Go meter
If your emergency credit runs out, please top up as soon as possible. If you're unable to top up, we may be able to offer further support. The easiest way is to use our form. You'll need to pay back any credit you borrow, but we can spread the cost so you pay a little bit at a time. We’ll make sure your repayment plan is affordable.
How friendly credit periods work on your smart Pay As You Go meter
If the emergency credit on your smart Pay As You Go meter runs out overnight or during the weekend, our friendly credit period will keep your supply on so you have more time to top up.
Our friendly credit period runs from 6pm to 9am Monday to Thursday, and from 6pm Friday to 9am Monday or until 9am Tuesday over bank holidays.
Just so you know, the friendly credit period will only work if your smart Pay As You Go meter has available credit at the start of the period.
Further help with your smart Pay As You Go meter
If you need extra help or have more questions about smart Pay As You Go meters, you can get in touch with us.
Useful documents
- Pay As You Go for smart meters
- In-Home Display – Quick-start guide
- Smart Energy Tracker – Quick-start guide
- Smart Energy Tracker – Full user guide
- Aclara Smart Pay As You Go - Quick-start guide (In-Home Display)
- Aclara Smart Pay As You Go - Quick-start guide (Smart Energy Tracker)
- Elster Smart Pay As You Go – Quick-start guide
- EDMI Smart Pay As You Go – Quick-start guide
- Landis+Gyr Smart Pay As You Go – Quick-start guide